


A First of Many

by ardentmuse



Category: Mother of the Year (Visual Novel)
Genre: Cooking, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Flirting, Fluff, Holding Hands, Light Angst, Light Petting, Romance, Sexual Tension, Touching, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 12:10:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21494074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardentmuse/pseuds/ardentmuse
Summary: Thomas and Luz have MC and daughter over for dinner. As they cook together, Thomas cannot deny his desire to be closer to MC and maybe this closeness is exactly what he needs to open himself up to something good between them.A rewrite / expansion of the Chapter 12 diamond scene to include much more flirting and to give Thomas a motivation for his willingness to get physical with MC later.
Relationships: Thomas Mendez/Main Character (Mother of the Year), Thomas Mendez/Reader
Kudos: 8





	A First of Many

Light caress of fingers upon the small of your back sent chills down your spine. The hairs at the back of your neck stood on end as you felt Thomas’s breath upon your ear.

“It’s looking good.”

His eyes were taking in the sautéing ingredients in the pot. Sure, the onions were a variety of sizes, medium dice and fine chop mixing together, some raw and some broken down, but that’s what happens when you let a ten-year old do your mise en place. Though you had to admit, Luz was pretty good with a knife, a fact that honestly wasn’t all that surprising now that you thought about it. 

Thomas’s hand didn’t leave the small of your back as he added a handful of spices to the pot of pozole rojo. Part of you wondered if he knew the impact his touch had on you, how on-fire your body grew at his presence, so close yet so forbidden. When he squeezed lightly at your hip, his fingers cupping into the flesh of you as he took another whiff of the delicious pot, you had your answer. 

“I can’t wait to try some,” he said to you as he slipped away to help your daughter drain the hominy. 

It took you a moment or two to collect yourself. Thomas had said he wasn’t ready; that things were going too fast between the two of you and that he needed time and distance. But here you were, in his house – to which he invited you – sharing in his family traditions and creating new memories together. You turned your gaze to take him in. His back was to you now as he reached around your daughter, offering his support for the heavy colander she was wielding. He was talking to her in such gentle tones, explaining to her the next steps of the recipe and answering her questions about the food itself. His sweater stretched with the movement of the muscles of his back, ones that you hadn’t stopped seeing in your mind since that run together several weeks ago, a beautiful expanse of strength of virility, hidden under his soft professional attire and often slumped in stress and exhaustion. You longed to see them in their full glory – holding him upright with pride and conviction as he took down corrupt corporations or stretching taut in exertion as he hovered over you in bed, bearing his weight upon you with each thrust, each dip of his shoulders as he kissed you lips, your nose, your neck, as he praised you with love and sweetness before his release.

Your face grew hot, and it wasn’t the fault of the stovetop or the peppers. 

“Y/D/N’s mom, I think the onions are burning.”

You snapped your eyes away from Thomas to find Luz sitting crisscross upon the counter, her face hovering over the pot. She turned her gaze to you and followed the path where your eyes had been before offering a giant, conspiratorial smile.

“I can stir the veggies if you wanna help dad. I’m really good with fire.”

Thomas turned to you both then, offering the sort of reproachful smile you had seen him pull out so many times before. Luz was a handful for sure, but she always respected her father’s word, the ease between them such a joy to witness. 

God, he’s a good father. Shame he doesn’t have more kids…

You felt your mind going places it shouldn’t: a home together, a little baby boy in your arms, your daughter – or rather daughters – fighting over who got to hold the baby next, and Thomas beside you, cradling you in his arms as he puts away the work for a few weeks, calm and happy and pure. 

You tried to remind yourself what he had said. You are just friends. Good friends. Supportive friends. Friends who kiss. Friends who run their fingers along each other’s backs and whisper in their ears. Friends who find every excuse to touch…. Friends who lie about their feelings to save them from acknowledging that change may be okay, and even a necessary part of healing.

“Do you remember what happened last time I let you man the stove, Luz?” Thomas said as he moved towards the counter, lifting his daughter up by the armpits to help he back onto the floor. 

“I ruined dinner,” she admitted freely. 

“And some flatware.” 

“How was I supposed to know those forks could melt?” 

Your daughter chimed up from the other side of the room, “I read once that gas burners can get as hot as 800 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s almost as hot as Venus!” 

“NO WAY!” Luz said as she moved her head down to take a look at heat source. Your daughter joined as they chatted merrily about where the fire comes from and all the things they might be able to burn with it. 

You gave the pot one last stir before dropping the temperature down to simmer. The girls groaned but kept their watch as he moved to give them their space to bond. Thomas poured in the remaining ingredients and joined you on the other side of the kitchen, handing you a glass of wine you hadn’t even realized you wanted. 

You leaned against the counter top and watched your children – and tried your hardest not to hope that this little joy might become your constant. 

“They really get along great, don’t they?” Thomas asked as a smile pulled at this face, one that often came to him as he took Luz in, all her exuberance and joy spreading to him like wildfire. 

“They really, really do,” you confirmed as you took a slow sip, “I’m glad they found each other.” 

Thomas pulled his eyes from his daughter to take in your face. His brows were pulled together, but his face was soft. His dark red locks fell a bit on his forehead, brushing against the few faint freckles there.

“I’m glad, too,” he whispered as his hands found your wrist upon the counter, “For finding both of you.” 

Thomas’s gaze dropped to your lips for just a moment and you had to look away. Something about the simple look was too intimate, too much what you wanted that it felt wrong to indulge after he had told you no. 

But you did turn your hand upon the counter upward, catching your fingers in his in silent confirmation that you were here, waiting, for whenever he was ready. He gave you hand the quickest squeeze and made to pull closer when your daughter’s voice called to you once more.

“When will dinner be done?” 

Thomas pulled away from you once more, abandoning his wine to the counter as he moved towards the pot. He stirred it twice, the rich aroma lofting over to where you stood, and soon he was smiling down at the girls. 

“Now,” he said, before his eyes pulled to you once more. You felt something in his gaze shift, something so small at the corners of his eyes that you couldn’t quite identify. And with that look, he added, “Pending Y/N’s approval.”

He dipped the tasting spoon into the pot, pulling out a bite that contained a mix of broth, vegetable, and meat. He held his hand under the spoon and he offered it up to you. 

Smoothly, you walked towards him and reached out for the spoon but Thomas didn’t let you. Instead, he moved his hands towards your mouth in one delicate smooth motion. 

“Our resident taste tester,” he said with a smile, his beautiful mouth on display for you as you open yours wide to take in what he is offering you. You registered the word “resident” a moment too late, the implication of it a little too much for your brain to handle with Thomas so close to your mouth.

The feel of the spice spread down the sides of you tongue and the rich heartiness of meat and hominy eased its tingle. Your mouth was joyous with the flavor and as you swallowed, you couldn’t help but smile at what you had accomplished together.

“Delicious,” you assured Thomas, who still held the spoon close to your face and was watching your lips closely. 

His grin grew even bigger at your words, his full lips growing more kissable by the minute. But before you could do something stupid, Thomas turned, shut off the burner, and began serving up bowls for the girls, who quickly ran off to the dining room table. 

And when he turned to you, a bowl in hand, he paused once again. His eyes found your mouth on instinct and you felt yourself flush at the attention. Why did your body have to call to him so?

He lifted a finger and wiped softly at your lips. You parted your mouth, sighing at the closeness and Thomas’s intense gaze. When he pulled his finger away, this was a faint bit of red upon the tip, which he held up for you to see.

“Saving some for later?” he asked.

“Don’t think I have to. We’ve got plenty.”

Thomas chuckled and turned his back to you. He seemed to be reaching for a rag to wipe at his finger but he paused. Though you couldn’t quite see, you thought he took the tip of his finger into his mouth and pulled it out clean. Something about it, even just the idea that he’d rather taste what was upon your lips than wipe it away sent your heart rate through the roof. And before he could recover, you took your bowl and ran into the dining room with the girls, willing your body to return to normal. 

Once you were seated, Thomas took the one beside you. Your girls were already taking big bites of their soup, hungry and excited for the challenge the spice provided. 

“We can do better,” Luz said before taking the chile paste and adding a giant glob into her bowl. 

“Yeah,” your daughter confirmed before doing the same. The girls stirred frantically, mixing up the spice as you eyed Thomas, wondering if you should give the girls any warning.

“If you get stomachaches, that’s on you.”

“We’ll be fine, dad,” Luz said before taking another giant bite. You watched as her face changed, her expression steel as her eyes watered. She was trying her hardest to tough it out and it only made you laugh.

“Oh, too spicy!” you daughter called, sticking out her tongue and panting like a dog.

“Milk. Milk will help!” Luz ran into the kitchen and brought back two glasses for them and together they continued to eat merrily.

You and Thomas joined them, taking reasonable bites in silence, his knee occasionally brushing against yours under the table, his soft woolen slacks a pleasant scrap against your bare knee caps. You would have thought it was an accident if he didn’t smirk overtop of every bite he placed in his mouth. 

“You know, this is nice,” Luz said as she tilted her bowl to get at the last bits of broth pooling at the bottom. “Having Y/D/N and Y/D/N’s mom here is fun. We should do this more often. Maybe every night!” 

Your daughter beamed beside her best friend. And you were so grateful that she felt at home here, among people who loved and cared for her. 

Beside you, Thomas seemed to stiffen at his daughter’s words and you understood why. This had been exactly what he had wanted to avoid. 

But before you could pipe up and tell Luz that it was important that she have time alone with her father, too, Thomas’s hand found yours under the table and gave a soft squeeze. He cupped your fingers in his own, delicate and tender. You could feel his pulse racing in his palm and part of you was grateful to know your impact on each other was mutual.

You looked up at him as his gaze took you in, a soft and reassuring smile playing on his face as the tension eased out of his shoulders. 

He turned to his daughter once more, who was bouncing in her seat, waiting for a response. 

“Maybe not every night, sweetheart, but I think something can be arranged. I must admit, I enjoy having Y/N and Y/D/N here, too. It feels right.”

Luz and your daughter made squealed noises as Luz screamed, “best friend slumber parties,” before heading towards the kitchen for seconds. 

With the girls gone, Thomas turned to face you once more, his hand still holding yourself tightly.

“This,” he said, pulling your joined hands into view and kissing at your knuckles, drawing your whole body in closer, “feel right. It does. It really, really does.” 

He brushed his mouth once again upon your fingers, dropping it as he heard the footsteps of the girls rejoining the table, but something in his eyes as he continued to glance over at you ever now and again throughout the rest of the meal, let you know that there was a promise in those words, one he might not be able to make just yet, but one he intended to keep eventually, if you were patient enough to let him.

**Author's Note:**

> https://ardentmuse.tumblr.com/post/189175663746/a-first-of-many-thomas-mendez-x-reader


End file.
